R.I.P. - Obama jobs bill

Not even Democrats are willing to advance this turkey of a bill.Reuters:

President Barack Obama's job-creation package effectively fell to pieces on Monday as a top Republican lawmaker said the House of Representatives will only pass portions of the $447 billion measure.

As Obama continued to press lawmakers for a vote on his signature legislation, Representative Eric Cantor, the No. 2 House Republican, said that was not going to happen.

Asked if the bill as a complete package was dead, Cantor said: "Yes."

The bill appeared to be in trouble in the Democratic-controlled Senate as well, where aides from both parties said it will likely fail when it comes up for a vote later this month.

Monday's developments made plain what many analysts have believed for weeks -- that Washington is too divided to take any significant steps to lower the 9.1 percent unemployment rate before the 2012 congressional and presidential elections.

"At this point I think that Washington has become so dysfunctional that we've got to start focusing on the incremental progress we can make," Cantor said. "Both sides want to do the big, bold things -- the problem is they look vastly different."

"Nobody is all that excited about the president's jobs bill," said a senior Democratic aide. And that's the bottom line. The president has spent the last month barnstorming the country trying to whip up support for the bill and not even many in his own party are willing to walk the plank with him.

Missouri senator Claire McCaskill refused to be seen with Obama during a trip the president took to her state last week. She is in an uphill re-election fight and wisely decided to avoid contact with "Typhoid Barry." Expect more Democrats to follow suit as the campaign season wears on.

President Barack Obama's job-creation package effectively fell to pieces on Monday as a top Republican lawmaker said the House of Representatives will only pass portions of the $447 billion measure.

As Obama continued to press lawmakers for a vote on his signature legislation, Representative Eric Cantor, the No. 2 House Republican, said that was not going to happen.

Asked if the bill as a complete package was dead, Cantor said: "Yes."

The bill appeared to be in trouble in the Democratic-controlled Senate as well, where aides from both parties said it will likely fail when it comes up for a vote later this month.

Monday's developments made plain what many analysts have believed for weeks -- that Washington is too divided to take any significant steps to lower the 9.1 percent unemployment rate before the 2012 congressional and presidential elections.

"At this point I think that Washington has become so dysfunctional that we've got to start focusing on the incremental progress we can make," Cantor said. "Both sides want to do the big, bold things -- the problem is they look vastly different."

"Nobody is all that excited about the president's jobs bill," said a senior Democratic aide. And that's the bottom line. The president has spent the last month barnstorming the country trying to whip up support for the bill and not even many in his own party are willing to walk the plank with him.

Missouri senator Claire McCaskill refused to be seen with Obama during a trip the president took to her state last week. She is in an uphill re-election fight and wisely decided to avoid contact with "Typhoid Barry." Expect more Democrats to follow suit as the campaign season wears on.